U.S. patent application number 15/661637 was filed with the patent office on 2018-03-29 for online chat questions segmentation and visualization.
The applicant listed for this patent is INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Ilse M. Breedvelt-Schouten, Jana H. Jenkins, Jeffrey A. Kusnitz, John A. Lyons.
Application Number | 20180091450 15/661637 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 61686826 |
Filed Date | 2018-03-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180091450 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Breedvelt-Schouten; Ilse M. ;
et al. |
March 29, 2018 |
ONLINE CHAT QUESTIONS SEGMENTATION AND VISUALIZATION
Abstract
A computer monitors communications between at least two users on
the electronic communication platform. The computer associates the
monitored communications with one or more communication segments,
while each communication segment being associated with a
corresponding graphical user interface (GUI) component of a
communication program. The computer identifies a question within
the monitored communications and associates the identified question
with at least one question component of the GUI of at least one of
the one or more communication segments.
Inventors: |
Breedvelt-Schouten; Ilse M.;
(Manotick, CA) ; Jenkins; Jana H.; (Raleigh,
NC) ; Kusnitz; Jeffrey A.; (Campbell, CA) ;
Lyons; John A.; (Ottawa, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
61686826 |
Appl. No.: |
15/661637 |
Filed: |
July 27, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15278053 |
Sep 28, 2016 |
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15661637 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/35 20200101;
H04L 51/16 20130101; G06F 16/35 20190101; H04L 51/04 20130101; H04L
67/22 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 12/58 20060101
H04L012/58; G06F 17/27 20060101 G06F017/27; H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08 |
Claims
1. A method for processing questions in an electronic communication
platform, comprising: monitoring communications between at least
two users on the electronic communication platform; associating the
monitored communications with one or more communication segments,
each communication segment being associated with a corresponding
graphical user interface (GUI) component of a communication
program, wherein associating the monitored communications with one
or more communication segments further comprises: determining a
topic of the monitored communications; associating the monitored
communications to a communication segment having a topic that
matches the topic of the monitored communications, wherein the one
or more communication segments are identified based on natural
language processing (NLP) of the monitored communications, wherein
the NLP comprises identifying at least one topic for the monitored
communications; associating the at least one topic with at least
one of the one or more communication segments; identifying a
question within the monitored communications; associating the
identified question with at least one question component of the GUI
of at least one of the one or more communication segments;
displaying at least one of the one or more communication segments,
including the corresponding GUI component and the corresponding at
least one question component, wherein the corresponding at least
one question component comprises the identified question; and
communicating, to a moderator device, data identifying the
monitored communications, the question, and associations with the
one or more communication segments and the corresponding GUI
component.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Embodiments of the invention generally relate to an
electronic natural language processing of an online chat, and more
particularly, to segmenting a conversation by topics and
identifying, arranging and visualizing questions asked during the
conversation.
[0002] Online chat is a communication over a network that offers
real-time transmission of text messages from sender to receiver.
Online chat may address point-to-point communications as well as
multicast communications from one sender to many receivers and may
incorporate voice and video chat, or may be a feature of a web
conferencing service.
SUMMARY
[0003] Embodiments of the invention include a method, computer
program product, and system, for an online chat, and more
particularly, to segmenting a conversation by topics and
identifying, arranging and visualizing questions asked during the
conversation. A computer monitors communications between at least
two users on the electronic communication platform. The computer
associates the monitored communications with one or more
communication segments, while each communication segment being
associated with a corresponding graphical user interface (GUI)
component of a communication program. The computer identifies a
question within the monitored communications and associates the
identified question with at least one question component of the GUI
of at least one of the one or more communication segments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting a high-level overview of a
method 100 for online chat questions identification, topic
segmentation, and visualization.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an electronic
communication platform 200, according to an embodiment of the
invention.
[0006] FIG. 3 is an example embodiment of a GUI of a communication
program representing segmentation, according to an embodiment of
the invention.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method, according to an
embodiment of the invention.
[0008] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an illustrative computing
device or node such as, server, user device, and moderator device,
according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0009] FIG. 6 is a diagram of an illustrative cloud computing
environment, according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 7 is a diagram of functional layers of the cloud
computing environment of FIG. 6, according to an embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] As previously described, an online chat may be a multicast
communication connecting many participants worldwide. The online
chat is used by organizations as an integrated part to a video or
sound broadcast of a presentation, where there are different
speakers and all the participants may ask the participants or the
moderator (manager) of the presentation different questions related
to the subject.
[0012] When the online chat involves multiple participants and
different presenters, answering the questions and tracking the
answers is a tedious task that typically is impossible when there
are different questions that are addressed to various moderators
(presenters or managers of the online chat). Present embodiment
provides a solution to an online problem of following up,
segmenting, and addressing all of the questions that are
transmitted by participant.
[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting a high-level overview of a
method 100 for online chat questions identification and topic
segmentation by applying natural language processing (NLP)
techniques, and subsequent visualization of different conversations
divided by topic. Method 100 represents one embodiment of the
invention, and therefore should not be viewed as limiting the
invention; the invention is defined in the claims.
[0014] Generally, method 100 monitors some or all the incoming
communication 102 that includes messages from different users and
associates them to different segments 104 of the conversation.
Segments are different parts of the conversation that are related
to a specific subject such as, specific topic, specific moderator
(presenter), specific subject, or specific time. Each segment is
displayed in a different Graphic User Interface (GUI) 106. By using
NLP, method 100 identifies when a question 108 is asked by the
user, associates the question with a segment 110 and displays the
identified questions in associated GUI that relates to the question
asked.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an electronic
communication platform 200, according to an embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 2, electronic communication platform
200 may be embodied as a computing device, a component of a
computing device, or a program having a set of modules or
programming instructions embodied on a computing device. Additional
details of the structure and implementation of electronic
communication platform 200 are discussed in connection with FIG.
4.
[0016] Electronic communication platform 200 may include computing
devices such as server 202, user device 206, and moderator device
212 all interconnected via network 198. According to an example
embodiment, a computing device is a system configured to receive
and send communications that are required to connect to an online
chat. For example, computing device may be a server, a mobile
computer, a notebook, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a
handheld device, a smart-phone, a thin client, or any other
electronic device or computing system capable of receiving and
sending online chat messages via network 198.
[0017] In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, network
198 is the Internet, representing a worldwide collection of
networks and gateways to support communications between devices
connected to the Internet. Accordingly, network 198 may include,
for example, wired, wireless or fiber optic connections. In other
embodiments, network 198 may be implemented as an intranet, a local
area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). In general,
network 198 may be any combination of connections and protocols
that will support communications between server 202, user device
206, and moderator device 212.
[0018] User communication program 210 is a software program
configured to connect user device 206 to an online chat monitored
by communication program 204 via network 198. According to an
example embodiment, user communication program 210 is stored and
executed on user device 206 and configured to send and receive
messages to the online chat administered and monitored by
communication program 204. In another embodiment, user
communication program 210 may be integrated into communication
program 204 or stored on server 202, and accessed by a web browser
of user device 206.
[0019] Moderator communication program 212 is a software program
configured to connect moderator device 212 to an online chat
monitored by communication program 204 via network 198. According
to an example embodiment, moderator communication program 216 is
stored and executed on moderator device 212 and configured to send
and receive messages to the online chat administered and monitored
by communication program 204. In addition, moderator communication
program 216 is configured to display the GUI of a communication
program 204 representing communication segmentation, as described
in greater details with regard to FIG. 3. In an embodiment,
moderator communication program 216 may be integrated into
communication program 204 or stored on server 202, and accessed by
a web browser of user device 206. In a further embodiment,
functions of moderation communication program 216 may be available
for execution on multiple user devices, such that more than one
user may act as moderators, or that the role of moderator may
change from user to user.
[0020] Communication program 204 is a software program configured
to monitor communications transmitted by users of an online chat,
divide the communication into a segment and identify if one of the
user asked a question utilizing NLP and associate the question with
the corresponding segment.
[0021] Communication program 204 monitors online chat
communications transmitted via network 198 by receiving some or all
the communications as a part of an online chat managing software.
Communication program 204 may be a standalone program or integrated
into a chat service software executed on server 202.
[0022] Segments of communications may be generated and organized
according to topics of the communications that the segments
contain. For example, these topics may be predetermined by a
moderator, or determined by communication program 204 during
runtime while monitoring online chat communications. Monitoring is
performed utilizing NLP to find associations and connections
between communications and may be performed utilizing cognitive
computing such as software capable of discovering relations between
the communications and subsequent segmentation according to
discovered relations. According to an embodiment of the invention,
moderator may predetermine the topics of the segments that
communication program 204 implements while monitoring the
communications. For example, in an embodiment, if one of the
moderators predetermined that the topics are names of the other
moderators in an online chat, communication program 204 will
segment the communications according to the corresponding
moderators associated with each communication. In another
embodiment, communication program 204 may divide the communications
by applying cognitive computing analysis and segmenting the
communications according to relations between the communications.
For example, if there are several communications that include a
timeframe, a specific time, a specific date and a question asks
time or date related question, communication program 204 will
segment the related communications including time, date, or
timeframe under one topic.
[0023] Communication program 204 utilizes NLP to identify if a
question is asked. For example, communication program 204 may
analyze if the communication is structured as a question or has a
question mark in the communication. If the question is detected in
the monitored communications, communication program 204 associates
the question to a segment that the question is related to. For
example, if the moderator is John Doe and a user asks a question
who is the moderator, communication program 204 associates the
question with the communication segment "John Doe."
[0024] According to an embodiment of the invention, each time after
identifying a communication with a question, communication program
204 associates the segment with a GUI of communication program 204
representing the topic and displays the question to the moderator
in a segment related GUI where the corresponding communications are
displayed. In another embodiment, communication program 204
analyzes communications related to the same segment and suggests an
answer to the moderator after the question and lets the moderator
either accept or reject the suggested answer. In further
embodiments, communication program 204 GUI displays to the
moderator if the question was answered or not using different
colors. For example, if the moderator answered the question, the
text or a special icon such as a color bar, or tab, above or beyond
the segment name will change its color to green if all or some of
the questions in the segment were answered. If there are unanswered
questions in a segment, the color bar above or beyond the segment
name will be colored in red. In another embodiment, as many bars as
there are questions may be displayed (this may be limited to a
maximum number), with each bar representing a question, and the
corresponding color indicating whether the question is answered or
still open.
[0025] FIG. 3 represents an example of GUI segmentation of
communications, according to an embodiment of the invention. For
example, if segment1 304 represents a general segment of an online
chat communications, the messages would be displayed in chat1 302
field, while the questions would be displayed in questions1 306
field. If there is a specific segment, in addition to the general
segment, additional GUI segment2 310 is displayed, and associated
communications (messages) would be displayed in chat2 308 and the
questions associated with segment2 310, are displayed in questions2
312 field.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a computer implemented method 400
online chat questions identification, topic segmentation, and
visualization according to an embodiment of the invention. The
method may be implemented via a set of programming instructions
executable by a processor of a computer, and may be embodied on a
tangible storage device of a computer. For example, method 400 may
be a computing program as described in connection with FIG. 5.
[0027] Generally, method 400 may be a method employed in the
electronic communication platform 200 (FIG. 2), and may be
performed by the various modules thereof, to operate communication
program 204 on server 202.
[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4, electronic communication
platform 200 monitors (step 402) communications between at least
two users, user device 206 and moderator device 212 on the
electronic communication platform 200. For example, communication
program 204 monitors communication received from user communication
program 210 and moderator communication program 216.
[0029] Electronic communication platform 200 associates (step 404)
the monitored communications with one or more communication
segments, each communication segment being associated with a
corresponding GUI component of a communications program. For
example, communication segment is associated with segment 2,
therefore GUI segment2 310 is associated with the
communication.
[0030] Electronic communication platform 200 identifies (step 406)
a question within the monitored communications, the identified
question being associated with at least one of the one or more
communication segments. For example, if electronic communication
platform 200 identifies a question and segment1 304 is associated
with the incoming communications while segment2 is associated with
the identified question the electronic communication platform 200
will associate the question with GUI segment1 304 and GUI segment2
310.
[0031] Method 400 may also perform additional functions, not
explicitly shown as separate steps in FIG. 4, according to various
embodiments of the invention. According to an embodiment, method
400 iteratively monitoring each communication and associates it
with a segment.
[0032] According to a further embodiment, method 400 includes
displaying the messages in associated GUI component of a
communication program 204.
[0033] Referring now generally to embodiments of the invention,
several moderator communication programs may be connected to
communication program 204 where each moderator may have different
topics. These topics may be predetermined, dynamically determined,
or manually determined. According to an embodiment, communication
program 204 associates each communication to a segment
corresponding to a specific topic that each moderator chooses. When
a question is identified, communication program 204 associates the
question with the appropriate segment; this is done for each
moderator. Communication program 204 displays the GUI component
associated with the question on moderator device 212. The topic is
displayed at the top of the GUI component such as at segment1 304.
The monitored communications associated with the topic are
displayed at the first half of the GUI component such as chat1 302
and the question is displayed in the bottom of the same GUI
component such as questions1 306. According to an embodiment, if
several questions are identified as related to the same segment,
they are displayed in the same GUI component. In a further
embodiment, GUI component may include an input text line near each
question allowing the moderator to input an answer to the question.
In additional embodiment, each question displayed in a GUI
component may have a corresponding checkbox giving a graphical
representation whether the question was answered. In further
embodiment, each segment may have a graphical representation such
as an icon or a corresponding color figure representing the number
of identified questions in each segment and another graphical
representation as to a number of answered questions in each segment
for a moderator to identify the number of questions and a status of
each question associated with the segment. For example, for each
topic name displayed in segment1 304 there may be red bars where
each bar represent an identified question. Whenever the moderator
answers the identified question the red colored bar representing
the question will change the color to green. In a further
embodiment, if an identified question does not belong to any of the
segments predetermined by a moderator, a new GUI component
representing all the unsegmented questions and/or communications is
generated and displayed to the moderator.
[0034] FIG. 5 depicts a functional block diagram of a computing
device or computing node 10, according to an embodiment of the
invention. For example, the computing device or computing node 10
may correspond to server 202, user device 206, and moderator device
212 (FIG. 2), in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the
present invention. It should be appreciated that FIG. 5 provides
only an illustration of one implementation and does not imply any
limitations with regard to the environments in which different
embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted
environment may be made.
[0035] A server 202, user device 206, and moderator device 212
include communications fabric 902, which provides communications
between computer processor(s) 904, memory 906, persistent storage
908, communications unit 912, and input/output (I/O) interface(s)
914. Communications fabric 902 may be implemented with any
architecture designed for passing data and/or control information
between processors (such as microprocessors, communications and
network processors, etc.), system memory, peripheral devices, and
any other hardware components within a system. For example,
communications fabric 902 may be implemented with one or more
buses.
[0036] Memory 906 and persistent storage 908 are computer-readable
storage media. In this embodiment, memory 906 includes random
access memory (RAM) 916 and cache memory 918. In general, memory
906 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile
computer-readable storage media.
[0037] Communication program 204, user communication program 210,
and moderator communication program 216 are stored in persistent
storage 908 for execution by one or more of the respective computer
processors 904 via one or more memories of memory 906. In this
embodiment, persistent storage 908 includes a magnetic hard disk
drive. Alternatively, or in addition to a magnetic hard disk drive,
persistent storage 908 may include a solid-state hard drive, a
semiconductor storage device, read-only memory (ROM), erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, or any other
computer-readable storage media that is capable of storing program
instructions or digital information.
[0038] The media used by persistent storage 908 may also be
removable. For example, a removable hard drive may be used for
persistent storage 908. Other examples include optical and magnetic
disks, thumb drives, and smart cards that are inserted into a drive
for transfer onto another computer-readable storage medium that is
part of persistent storage 908.
[0039] Communications unit 912, in these examples, provides for
communications with other data processing systems or devices. In
these examples, communications unit 912 includes one or more
network interface cards. Communications unit 912 may provide
communications using one or both of physical and wireless
communications links. Communication program 204, user communication
program 210, and moderator communication program 216 may be
downloaded to persistent storage 908 through communications unit
912.
[0040] I/O interface(s) 914 allows for input and output of data
with other devices that may be connected to communication program
204, user communication program 210, and moderator communication
program 216. For example, I/O interface 914 may provide a
connection to external devices 920 such as a keyboard, keypad, a
touch screen, and/or some other suitable input device. External
devices 920 may also include portable computer-readable storage
media such as, for example, thumb drives, portable optical or
magnetic disks, and memory cards. Software and data used to
practice embodiments of the present invention, e.g., Communication
program 204, user communication program 210, and moderator
communication program 216 may be stored on such portable
computer-readable storage media and may be loaded onto persistent
storage 908 via I/O interface(s) 914. I/O interface(s) 914 may also
connect to a display 922.
[0041] Display 922 provides a mechanism to display data to a user
and may be, for example, a computer monitor.
[0042] Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling
convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, network
bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications,
virtual machines, and services) that may be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or interaction with a
provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five
characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four
deployment models.
[0043] Characteristics are as follows:
[0044] On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer may unilaterally
provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network
storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
interaction with the service's provider.
[0045] Broad network access: capabilities are available over a
network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use
by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile
phones, laptops, and PDAs).
[0046] Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are
pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with
different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and
reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location
independence in that the consumer generally has no control or
knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may
be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g.,
country, state, or datacenter).
[0047] Rapid elasticity: capabilities may be rapidly and
elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly
scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the
consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear
to be unlimited and may be purchased in any quantity at any
time.
[0048] Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and
optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some
level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource
usage may be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing
transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized
service.
[0049] Service Models are as follows:
[0050] Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud
infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client
devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser
(e.g., web-based e-mail). The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers,
operating systems, storage, or even individual application
capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific
application configuration settings.
[0051] Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure
consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming
languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does
not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control
over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting
environment configurations.
[0052] Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided
to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and
other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to
deploy and run arbitrary software, which may include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating
systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
[0053] Deployment Models are as follows:
[0054] Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely
for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a
third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0055] Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by
several organizations and supports a specific community that has
shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and
compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations
or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0056] Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to
the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an
organization selling cloud services.
[0057] Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of
two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain
unique entities but are bound together by standardized or
proprietary technology that enables data and application
portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between
clouds).
[0058] A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a
focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic
interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an
infrastructure that includes a network of interconnected nodes.
[0059] Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrative cloud computing
environment 50 is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment
50 includes one or more cloud computing nodes 10 (such as the
computing device or the computing node depicted in FIG. 5) with
which local computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for
example, personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone
54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, and/or automobile
computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 may communicate with
one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physically or
virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,
Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combination
thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offer
infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a
cloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local
computing device. It is understood that the types of computing
devices 54A-N shown in FIG. 6 are intended to be illustrative only
and that computing nodes 10 and cloud computing environment 50 may
communicate with any type of computerized device over any type of
network and/or network addressable connection (e.g., using a web
browser).
[0060] Referring now to FIG. 7, a set of functional abstraction
layers provided by cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 6) is
shown. It should be understood in advance that the components,
layers, and functions shown in FIG. 7 are intended to be
illustrative only and embodiments of the invention are not limited
thereto. As depicted, the following layers and corresponding
functions are provided:
[0061] Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and
software components. Examples of hardware components include:
mainframes 61; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture
based servers 62; servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65;
and networks and networking components 66. In some embodiments,
software components include network application server software 67
and database software 68.
[0062] Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from
which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided:
virtual servers 71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73,
including virtual private networks; virtual applications and
operating systems 74; and virtual clients 75.
[0063] In one example, management layer 80 may provide the
functions described below. Resource provisioning 81 provides
dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources that
are utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing
environment. Metering and Pricing 82 provide cost tracking as
resources are utilized within the cloud computing environment, and
billing or invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one
example, these resources may include application software licenses.
Security provides identity verification for cloud consumers and
tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources. User
portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment for
consumers and system administrators. Service level management 84
provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such
that required service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA)
planning and fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and
procurement of, cloud computing resources for which a future
requirement is anticipated in accordance with an SLA.
[0064] Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for
which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of
workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer
include: mapping and navigation 91; software development and
lifecycle management 92; virtual classroom education delivery 93;
data analytics processing 94; transaction processing 95; and
electronic communication platform 96. Electronic communication
platform 96 may relate to functionality that monitors
communications, associates each communication with a corresponding
segment, identifies a question and displays the segment and
associated question in the corresponding segment.
[0065] The programs described herein are identified based upon the
application for which they are implemented in a specific embodiment
of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any
particular program nomenclature herein is used merely for
convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use
solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by
such nomenclature.
[0066] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer program product at any possible technical detail level of
integration. The computer program product may include a computer
readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program
instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects
of the present invention.
[0067] The computer readable storage medium may be a tangible
device that may retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0068] Computer readable program instructions described herein may
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0069] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated
circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any
combination of one or more programming languages, including an
object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the
like, and procedural programming languages, such as the "C"
programming language or similar programming languages. The computer
readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's
computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software
package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote
computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the
latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's
computer through any type of network, including a local area
network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may
be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet
using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments,
electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic
circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable
logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program
instructions by utilizing state information of the computer
readable program instructions to personalize the electronic
circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present
invention.
[0070] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, may be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0071] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that may direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0072] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0073] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in
the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, may
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0074] It is to be understood that although this disclosure
includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation
of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud
computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention
are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type
of computing environment now known or later developed.
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